Taliban open to cooperation on deportation of Afghans

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on the German authorities to settle the matter within the framework of the usual consular relations and an appropriate mechanism based on a bilateral agreement,” Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Kahar Balchi wrote on X on Friday.

After the fatal knife attack in Mannheim, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced that he wanted to make it possible to deport serious criminals to Afghanistan and Syria again. Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) is currently examining this. Since the Taliban regained power in Kabul in August 2021, a deportation ban for Afghans has been in place in Germany.

Critics warn

However, critics warn against such talks with the Islamists, who are internationally isolated. The Taliban could benefit from deportations by using them as an opportunity to cooperate with a Western state, said Afghanistan expert Thomas Ruttig. Representatives of the German Green Party also oppose deportations of Afghans and cooperation with the Taliban, or are skeptical about the plan.

The German government is also currently considering a detour via Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries such as Pakistan. However, the Taliban are clearly rejecting this option. Extraditions to third countries are a violation of existing conventions, the Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasised in his statement.

• More on the subject: SPÖ and Karner want to deport criminal Syrians and Afghans

So far, no country has officially recognized the Taliban government. Western states demand, among other things, that human rights and, above all, women’s rights be respected in the country in order to gain recognition. Other states, especially neighboring countries, have nevertheless advocated a more pragmatic approach to dealing with the Islamists.